Do you have questions on the state of the global economy? Are you worried about your country’s GDP growth? Would you like to know what the next few years are bringing? This is your chance to ask questions on the world economy to top UN experts!

The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018 – UN DESA’s flagship report on the state of the world economy with a detailed global and regional economic outlook for 2018 and 2019 will launch this Monday, 11 December.

You can watch the launch live on 11 December at 11.00 am EST and follow the Facebook live interview with the report’s lead author, Dawn Holland who will answer questions posted through social media. To post a question, go to the Facebook live event page or use the hashtag #WESP2018 on Twitter.

About the report

Following a decade of economic crises and shocks – from the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, to the European sovereign debt crisis of 2010-2012, to the global commodity price realignment in 2014-2016 – is the global economy finally headed for a lasting recovery?

Although the world is currently witnessing stronger economic activity, economic gains remain unevenly distributed across countries and regions, and many parts of the world are yet to restore a healthy growth rate.
The uneven pace of global economic recovery continues to raise concerns regarding prospects for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030. Little growth in per capita income is expected in several parts of Africa, Western Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The impacted regions combined are home to 275 million people living in extreme poverty. Without sustained, economic growth, the chances of bringing that number to zero remain slim. To achieve the goals of eradicating poverty and creating decent jobs for all, it is essential to address the longer‑term structural issues that hold back a faster progress towards sustainable development.

What are these structural issues and can countries afford to address them now? What is the shape of the global economy and will it improve over the next two years? What should the world’s development priorities be? Stay tuned to find out!

Following the launch, the report will be available for download at http://bit.ly/wespreport